


The melancholy of Yohane Tsushima

by Anonymous



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Illustrated, POV First Person, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-03-05 03:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13379445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Riko Sakurauchi is an ordinary girl who gets tied up into the extraordinary world of Yohane Tsushima.[based off the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya] [The other 7 are not so ordinary either][[Currently on a small hiatus! Will be back in January, yohariko 4 life]]





	1. Chapter 1

I couldn’t play.

Months of isolation, sleepless nights, practicing until my fingers cramped, all for this one moment. The moment that was going to define my future.

And I couldn’t play.

I stared at those ivory keys. My hands began to shake. My throat felt dry. Only upon hearing the confused murmurs of the audience did I remember to breathe.

I don't know why. Just before the performance I had played effortlessly, flawlessly. Playing the piano had become so second nature to me, I could do it with my eyes closed. I played so much that my fingers would twitch even as I slept. But now, when it mattered most, the moment that I had dreamed of for years, the day that would mark the beginning of my journey as a pianist, I couldn’t play.

My hands seemed to move automatically. I gently closed the piano's fallboard and let my arms go limp, drooping at my sides. I slowly stood and faced the audience, my eyes unfocused. I bowed, and I walked away, leaving my dreams behind me.

XXXXX

The salty smell of the ocean filled my nostrils. I sat in comfortable silence in the passenger’s seat while my mother drove us to our soon-to-be home.

I was hopeful. Perhaps this was what I needed to move on. A new home, new surroundings, a new school. I could start over with a completely blank slate.

XXXXX

Today is the first day of high school, and I am very excited. I'm also a little scared, but mostly excited.

The sun is shining, and the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. Surely this is a sign that good things are coming my way, right?

There's a spring in my step as I walk to my new school, the school I'll be spending the next three years of my life; Uranohoshi Girls' High School.

It's only been two weeks since the move, but I’ve already grown accustomed to my quiet neighborhood by the sea. My mother told me that our next-door neighbor has a daughter who's my age, attending the same school. I would've liked to walk to school with her, but it seemed she didn't get up as early as me, and I didn't want to risk being late on my first day because I chose to wait for her.

When I arrived at the front gates, dozens of students were passing out flyers advertising their clubs. Uranohoshi was a small school, but there was a colorful array of clubs. Sports clubs, sewing clubs, video game clubs, you name it. I hadn't thought much about joining a club, but I wouldn't mind having a place to go every day after school.

However, nothing quite stood out to me. The arts club? While I do enjoy painting, I’m not sure if I’m confident enough in my own skill to join a club for it. There’s the cooking club... Well, it certainly couldn't hurt to get better at cooking, though I doubt I’d be wowing anyone with what I throw together. The manga club? ...Absolutely not.

Of course, I’ve got plenty of time to think about what kind of club to join. There’s no need to rush into anything on the first day. Besides, what I care most about is making new friends, so I think I’d be fine with any club in the end.

XXXXX

I'm sitting in my new homeroom class, still recovering from the school principal's long and boring speech during the opening ceremony.

We're all first years, and yet it seems like a lot of students already know each other. Groups of girls are chatting away, giggling happily. It makes sense; this is a small town after all, so there’s probably lots of people who went to the same middle school together.

Regardless, it's making me feel just a bit uneasy. The last thing I want is to end up an outsider. Its only harder to make friends when you’re the only one who doesn’t know anyone else. It'll be fine though, right? There’s bound to be at least a few other first years who don't know everyone here, right? It’s still only the first day, I’m sure I’ve got nothing to worry about, after all, it’s silly to expect to make friends after just one day, right?

It was while I was giving myself a mental pep-talk that our homeroom teacher walked in.

"Hello everyone! I'll be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year. It's nice to meet you all!"

The classroom responds with various greetings like 'It's nice to meet you too!' and 'I look forward to working with you!'

The teacher went on a little bit about herself before instructing us all to introduce ourselves. One by one we are to stand, say our name, what middle school we attended, and a random fact about ourselves.

It's quite nerve-wracking waiting as my turn slowly approached. I keep rehearsing what I will say in my head over and over.

As the student in front of me sits down, I stand up, brandishing a sweet smile. My heart is pounding a little too hard.

"Hi everyone! My name is Riko Sakurauchi. I recently moved here from Tokyo, so I don't know if you'd be familiar with my middle school."

There's a small chorus of "ooh"s at the mention of Tokyo, which is only making me more nervous.

"I hope to get along with you all, and I look forward to this school year!"

I promptly bow and sit down, inadvertently letting out a sigh of relief that my turn has passed. I couldn't really think of an interesting fact about myself, but "I recently moved here from Tokyo" probably works just fine.

I hear the chair clatter as the student behind me stands up. I'm feeling a little too lazy to turn around and face her, so I'll just listen with my back turned.

She speaks loudly, her deep voice reverberating throughout the room. "My name is Yohane Tsushima."

Yohane? That's a bit of a weird name. A foreigner maybe?

"This may come as a shock to you all, but I am not of this world."

...Huh? That got me to turn around. She was in a strange pose. She held her right hand to her face, her magenta eyes peeked through her fingers which formed a sideways V. Her skin is quite pale, and it heavily contrasts her dark blue hair that reached just past her shoulders. A distinct bun is tied on the right side of her head.

 

 

Yohane lets out a deep chuckle. "I am a fallen angel who has angered god, who has inflicted upon me a heavy retribution that I continue to suffer from. I am not interested in associating with you mortals, but I would be happy to form a pact with any being of the supernatural nature. That is all."

...Is this my cue to laugh? She can't be serious, can she? To say such absurd, nonsensical things on the first day of high school?

She stands proudly, surveying the classroom full of wide-eyed, silent girls staring directly at her, me included. I speechlessly wait for the punchline, or for the girl to burst into laughter, but no such thing occurs.

She calmly sits back down in her seat as if she hadn't said something that was completely out of the ordinary. The awkward silence is only broken when the stunned teacher finally recovers and prompts the next student to introduce themselves.

Oh geez, did I really get so unlucky to be stuck sitting in front of this colossal weirdo?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: decided to link the full sized image down here instead of IN the work like a fOOL  
> [Full size illustration here](https://78.media.tumblr.com/a6bde36d7877b657177188e54e5ce600/tumblr_p2l2j2QwW41r9uab1o1_1280.png)


	2. Chapter 2

As it turns out, "Yohane" isn't actually her real name. Yoshiko Tsushima apparently has a bit of a reputation with the students who went to her middle school.

"Tsushima-san has always been a little strange..." That was Chika Takami, who is apparently the next door neighbor I had missed this morning. She and her friend Yō Watanabe had approached me and offered to eat lunch together, an offer I wasn't about to refuse.

"I was never in Tsushima-san's class, but most of the school knew her name," Chika says, before stuffing rice into her mouth. 

After this morning's introduction, Yoshiko has already become the talk of the class. The fact that she bolted out the room the moment the lunch bell rang didn't help either.

Yō chimes in, "There were a few instances last year where she had been caught painting weird red circles on school grounds, like she was trying to summon a demon or something..."

"Once, she somehow managed to sneak a wild deer into the school! It was huuuuuuge!" Chika held her arms wide for emphasis. "I think she was gonna try to use it as a sacrifice in one of her weird rituals."

Trying to summon demons? Sacrificing animals? Does this mean she really believes in all that stuff she had said about angels and the supernatural?

"You mean to tell me she wasn't kidding about earlier?" I ask.

Chika and Yō gave eachother a look. Chika answers, "I don't know... Maybe it's some kind of silly inside joke?"

An inside joke? Who in the right mind would vandalize their school and risk expulsion just for kicks?

My skeptical look prompts Yō to add, "If you're really all that curious, why dont you ask her?"

I shrug and take a bite out of my sandwich. Ask her huh? I suppose I could, but I can't help feeling that I'm better off minding my own business.

XXXXXX

I yawn and stretch in my seat. Today I showed up a bit too early, and now I'm just waiting around for class to start. Theres only a handful of other students in the classroom.

Chika hasn't arrived yet, of course. She'd be caught dead before waking up even a moment earlier than she has to.

Behind me, Yoshiko sat quietly with her chin resting in her hand, looking somewhat bored. She's not paying any mind to me or anyone else for that matter. 

It was only on a slight whim that I did it. I didn't stop to think about it; it just sort of happened. I spoke to Yoshiko Tsushima.

"Hey, all that stuff you said during your introduction, the stuff about angels and the supernatural, were you really serious about all that?" 

She didn't move to face me, only her eyes turned towards me. She stared at me for a moment that lasted just long enough to make me feel a bit uncomfortable before she let out a gentle sigh.

"Why are you asking? Are you some kind of supernatural being?" Her voice showed no semblance to her introduction; it's much more high-pitched and quite normal sounding.

"Uh, well no, but I--"

"Then why are you even talking to me? I don't need you wasting my time." Yoshiko looks away pouting.

I feel a little dumbstruck, as if I'd somehow hurt her feelings. I wasn't expecting her to be this rude to me.

I turn around feeling silly and a bit embarrassed. Wait, why should I be embarrassed? She's the one being weird, not me. Jeez, no wonder nobody ever talks to her.

XXXXXX

Almost three weeks have passed since the introductions. After the first day, Yoshiko hasn't done anything like those stories Chika and Yō told me about. She's quiet, and tends to keep to herself. Anybody who's attempted to speak to her only got brushed off in the same way I did.

Yoshiko remains a mystery to just about everyone in class. I have noticed a few, shall we say, peculiarities in her behavior however.

Peculiarity number 1: Yoshiko always immediately leaves the classroom every time the bell rings.

Even in the few minutes inbetween classes, she blasts out of her seat like a bullet and runs off to god-knows-where.

Where exactly does she need to be that can't wait until after school or at least until lunch break? And what's with the rush anyway? You'd think shes being chased by bees or something.

Peculiarity number 2: She's always making this weird... symbol? With her hand. 

It isn't a sign I recognize, and honestly it seems kind of painful to even do. Not that I've attempted to emulate it myself, of course, it just looks like like it's an awkward sign to make.

She even does it when she raises her hand to ask the teacher a question.

"Maybe it's some kind of demonic symbol!" Chika suggests enthusiastically.

Yō laughs. "I doesn't look all that demonic to me, it looks like she made it up herself."

Yeah. If anything it just looks strange. I wonder what it means? Or if it means anything at all?

Peculiarity number 3: It took me a week before noticing this one, but she leaves little black feathers everywhere she goes.

There's always one or two left on her chair or the floor near her desk. Does she just carry around a ton of feathers in her bag or something? Sometimes I'd spot a few in the hallway or even the sidewalk outside of school.

I can't tell if shes intentionally dropping these feathers or if they just happen to accidentally fall out of wherever she keeps them.

I haven't been paying extreme attention to her or anything, it's just that, given the fact that I sit in front of her, it's easy for me to notice all these little things.

I'd be lying, however, if I said I wasn't the slightest bit curious about the oddball that was Yoshiko Tsushima.

XXXXXX

Either I'm crazy or just plain stupid.

Another early morning. The classroom is quiet as usual.

She's sitting behind me, that same dull expression on her face.

I feel like I should at least try to be on good terms with her. Like I don't want to be afraid to ask her things like "Hey what was for homework again?" or "When was the test?" Theres nothing wrong with a little small talk is there? I don't want to deal with this awkward presence emitting from the seat behind me all year. Yeah. That's the only reason why I'm talking to her again.

"What's with all the feathers anyway? Are they because you're supposed to be an angel?"

Yoshiko looks at me as if I've got eight heads. The silence is long enough that I begin to wonder if she even heard me correctly until she simply replies, "Fallen."

"Huh?"

"Fallen. I'm a fallen angel. Shouldn't that be obvious? The feathers are black," she says, matter-of-factly.

"Oh," I say. "That does make sense."

We stare at eachother awkwardly. I feel a little intimidated... Does she have to stare so hard?

"Couldn't they also be red or maybe purple?" I casually attempt to continue our conversation.

"Why do you care?" She looks away. 

I guess we're done talking?

XXXXXX

I don't know how it really happened but brief morning conversations with Yoshiko started to become a regular thing.

Some days she would just brush me off, but other days, she would be generous enough to spare a few words for a lowly mortal such as myself.

"You know there are a few rumors about you floating around," I begin, knowing Yoshiko probably won't respond to a simple hello.

Yoshiko straightens up her back and crosses her arms. "Of course there are. There's no doubt that someone such as myself would attract attention."

Oh? So she's aware of it?

"Well there was something about you painting red circles on school grounds and sacrificing a deer."

Yoshiko abruptly stands, "I did NOT sacrefice him! He was summoned by me!"  
She brings her hand to her face, making the same strange pose she did during her introduction. 

"The giant spirit of the forest revealed himself to Yohane during her time of feast." Her voice had changed; it became deep and reverberated with a strange mythicality. "He was attracted to my demonic aura. It was fate that were we to meet, he would not leave my side."

Well, I guess it's good to know she doesn't go around trying to kill wildlife.

She sits back down before I can even respond.

"Word of breath is only as reliable as the mortals' faith in a being with no substantiality," she sighs, her voice now back to its natural pitch.

"I see..." 

Thus ends today's conversation.

XXXXXX

It seems my ability to hold a conversation with Yoshiko for more than five seconds is impressive.

"I've never even seen her talk that long!" Yō said. She apparently witnessed this mornings chat.

"What did you say to her to get her to talk like that?" 

What did I say? I don't think I said anything special. I shrug.

Chika chimes in. "You must've said something interesting! I was in middle school with her for three years and I could never get anything out of her!" Her eyes light up as if she has an idea. "Since you two are friends now, why don't you introduce me? I've always wanted to get to know her too!"

Friends? Are we really? I'm not all that sure that Yoshiko even remembers my name.

"I just make small talk with her in the mornings... Otherwise she's never in the classroom long enough for me to talk to her." I still have no clue where she goes during all the breaks. Perhaps I should ask her.

XXXXXX

"I've taken it upon myself to patrol this prison of learning in search of the paranormal." Yoshiko lets out a deep and very fake-sounding chuckle.

"Is that so?" I've become accustomed to these kinds of responses from her by now, so it's stopped being surprising. "Any luck?"

Yoshiko scowls and lets out an annoyed sigh. "None! None at all!" She leans back in her chair and stares at the ceiling. "I don't know why they aren't showing themselves to me. I've worked hard to make it known that I mean them no harm!"

Well, even if that's the case, if I was some kind of mythical creature, I don't think I'd reveal myself to Yoshiko either.

"Maybe there's just no such creatures attending Uranohoshi," I say nonchalantly.

"Don't be ridiculous. They're here alright."

The only one being ridiculous here is you.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm a fallen angel!"

Do fallen angels have some kind of supernatural sense? And even if they did, you're clearly just some normal delusional high school girl.

"What makes YOU so sure that they aren't here?" she spits back at me.

Well thats an easy one. Theres no such thing.

"Just a hunch."

Yoshiko sucks her teeth and crosses her arms. I decide to clarify.

"I mean, lets say there really are supernatural creatures hanging around here, what do they have to gain from associating with you?" I smile to myself. "Maybe they would rather hang around normal humans instead. Or, maybe they don't buy the whole fallen angel thing, maybe they think you're just some normal girl playing pretend."

"You've got some nerve don't you?" she narrows her eyes at me then turns away, signalling that she's done talking to me.

I didn't know it at the time, but I think this is the conversation that put the idea into her head.

XXXXXX

Im struggling to focus on the dull voice of our teacher as she drones on about equations when it happened.

The harsh screech of a chair being violently shoved back and the shout of the girl who sits behind me cuts abruptly into the stupor of the classroom. 

"That's it!"

Suddenly I feel my own chair being pulled out. I gasp in surprise.

"Riko!"

Since when were we on a first name basis?

Yoshiko yanks my arm and drags me out of my seat.

"W-what?"

"I've got to prove to them that I'm the real deal!"

"What are you--"

"And you're going to help me!"

"H-huh?"

"What's with that look on your face? It's like what you said this morning! How are they supposed to know i'm really a fallen angel without any proof!?"

"Tsushima-san--"

"Call me Yohane!"

"Yo..hane-san.."

"What?"

"M-maybe we should save this chat for later?"

"Why? What's the point in waiting any longer?"

I swallow in a feeble attempt to soothe my dry throat.

"W-well... I think we should wait until after class maybe?"

Yohane stares around the classroom incredulously as if she only just realized where we are.

"Hmph... fine." She sits down with the usual pout on her face.

I apologize to the teacher and the class in her stead. That was beyond embarrassing. Why me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no illustration for this chapter but probably one for the next! Oh and if its awkward to read You's name, please let me know, I'm thinking of changing it to Yō ?  
> edit: I ended up going with Yō after all! hopefully that makes it a bit less confusing.


	3. Chapter 3

Class is dismissed and I immediately feel a hand firmly grasp my arm and yank me out of my seat.

"W-wait!" I cry out to no avail.

It's all I can do to grab my bag before I'm dragged out of the classroom.

Yohane sprints through the halls and I'm pulled along like her luggage.

"Where are we going?!" I barely manage to shout between breathless gasps.

She giggles. "Worry not, my little demon! We're almost there!"

What did you just call me?

I'm lugged up several flights of stairs. After the third flight, Yohane's wheezing just as much as I am.

"Through... here..." She huffs out weakly. What was the rush?

Yohane opens the door to the roof. A pleasant breeze ruffles my skirt and soothes my sweaty skin. Wait, shouldn't this door be locked?

She walks outside, still tugging me along, thankfully more gently this time.

We stand out here for a few moments, catching our breath. It's quite a nice day out. I've never been up on the school's roof before but there's a lovely view of the ocean from up here.

...She still hasn't let go of my arm. Does she think I'll run away?

I let out a deep sigh. "Why did you bring me up here?" I finally ask.

Yohane gives me the most genuine smile I've seen on her face yet. Given any other circumstance, I might've thought she looked quite pretty. "I figured it out during class!"

"Figured what out?"

"What I should've been doing this whole time!"

"And that would be?"

"It's just like you were saying! How are they supposed to know I'm really a fallen angel without any proof? I can't believe it never occurred to me before!"

She steps closer to me.

"I need to establish my presence here as a fallen angel! And I'm going to need your help to do it!"

I'd back away if she wasn't still clinging to my arm. Apparently my silence was her cue to continue.

"I want to start a club! You can fill out all the paperwork and everything right?"

"...I'm sorry?"

Can't she do that herself?

"I know we'll need members but you can leave that to me," She closes her eyes and chuckles. "Gathering a legion of little demons will be nothing but a trifle for the great Yohane."

"Slow down. What makes you think I'm going to help you at all?"

Another chuckle.

"The great Yohane has taken notice of your devotion, my little demon." She smirks, "Surely the reason you've initiated so much contact with a being such as myself is because you recognize my power!"

I feel my eye twitch.

"Yes, you are truly a dedicated little demon, and your efforts shall not go unrewarded! You've earned the honorable title of elite little demon Riri!"

She turns around, finally letting go of my arm.

"Tomorrow morning we shall discuss the details of forming the club. You are dismissed."

She promptly runs back into the school and down the stairs, leaving me wondering what the hell just happened.

XXXXXX

I know I didn't have to, but I gave the student handbook a look. Apparently you need at least five members to establish a club. You also need to have permission from the student council.

I have no clue what kind of club Yohane is trying to make but I am certain that it's nothing the student council will approve of. I did try to warn her about that this morning but...

"We musn't fear hell's gatekeepers, my dear Riri."

"...Right..."

One might wonder why I'm putting up with all this. It's simple really, I'm a masochist. Okay, but really, I actually kind of want to get to know Yohane better. I mean, I'm the only one that ever talks to her. I feel like it would be wrong of me to just start ignoring her like everyone else. Sure, she's a bit eccentric but she still deserves to have friends!

That and... well she's been smiling so much more now that I don't have the heart to let her down.

"Have you figured out what kind of club you want to make yet?" What was it again? Something about proving her status as a fallen angel?

"All that will come in due time! More importantly, I've uncovered a worthy lair of which my little demons shall gather." Yohane looks quite proud of herself as she says this.

"Um... I'm sorry can you elaborate?"

"A club room! I found one!"

"Wait, really?" It's been less than twenty-four hours. Wow, she works fast.

"Do not underestimate a fallen angel, Riri. After class today we can go check it out!"  
Yohane is absolutely beaming. I can't help but smile myself too.

But I really wish she would stop calling me "Riri".

XXXXXX

Once again I am being forcefully dragged at an unnecessarily high speed through the school. Jeez Yohane, haven't you ever heard of "no running in the halls"?

She abruptly stops at a room labelled "Literary Club".

She turns around and faces me with her chest puffed out and her hands on her hips. She's also very obviously trying to hide the fact that she's extremely out of breath from the run here.

"So where's the room?" I ask after I catch my own breath.

"Wha-- It's right here!" She states this like it's obvious.

"Are you talking about the literary club room?"

"Just trust me!" She promptly opens the door.

It's a decently sized room. The afternoon sun is peeking through the large window on the wall straight across from the door. In the corner there are two tall wooden bookcases stuffed with books. There's a desk on the left side of the room with a very primitive-looking desktop. On the right side of the room is two long tables and-- oh?  
There's also a person in here.

 

 

 

 

A tiny girl with shoulder-length honey-brown hair is seated at the end of one of the tables. She's looking up at us quizzically, a thick book open in her hands.

"Can I help you?" the girl asks in a gentle voice.

I'm at a loss for words. I didn't expect anyone to actually be in here. So much for trusting Yohane.

Thankfully, Yohane takes it upon herself to do the talking. "Greetings, mortal. I am the fallen angel Yohane, and this is my faithful little demon." She gestures to me.

I don't know whether to be relieved that she didn't introduce me as "Riri" or insulted that she didn't bother to actually use a name at all.

"Your pitiful literary club is about to meet its end, but fear not, the great Yohane would be happy to recruit two new little demons."

Two?

"Join us, or suffer the wrath of a demon's curse!" Yohane strikes a dramatic pose.  
The room falls silent for a few moments.

"U-um..." Another voice squeaks out. "Are you saying that.. you're going to disband the literary club?"

Crouched underneath the table is another small girl. Her bright red hair is tied into two pigtails. Her face is quite noticeably flushed and she's looking up at us fearfully through her emerald green eyes.

I can't believe I hadn't even noticed her. Was she hiding from us?

Wait a second, we can't just force them to disband their club!

I grab Yohane's arm and pull her to the side. "What are you saying? This is their clubroom! We can't just take it!" I whisper urgently.

"Don't worry so much!" she whispers back. "They haven't even said yes or no yet!"  
Why on earth would they agree to this?

Yohane spins back around toward the two bewildered girls. I decide it was a bad idea for me to let Yohane do the talking and speak up.

"Um... I'm sorry but my... _friend_ , here... she's trying to start up her own club. We need a clubroom and everything so um... we were wondering if maybe you can let us use this one until we can get our own? We promise not to be too loud while you guys are reading!" I bow my head and force Yohane's head down with me. Yeah. There's no way this is going to work.

The girl at the desk quietly places a bookmark into her book before speaking.  
  
"What kind of club are you guys trying to make?" She tilts her head slightly in curiosity.

My guess is as good as yours.

I hear Yohane huff beside me. "You'll find out soon enough! But there won't _be_ any club if we can't use this room!" she whines.

Fishing for pity points now are we?

The tiny girl frowns and brings her finger to her chin as if in deep thought. She turns towards the other girl who is still crouched on the floor.

"Ruby-chan what do you think?" she asks her.

"A-ah! I um, well..." The girl whose name is apparently Ruby fidgets and twiddles her thumbs for a few moments. "Well…” she clears her throat, “I guess I don't mind if it's just for a little while..." Ruby avoids making any eye contact with either of us.

Ruby's companion smiles. "Yeah, me neither. Plus it's an awfully large room just to keep to the two of us, zura." She nods to herself and looks back at us. "It's fine with us! But Ruby says only for a little while."

"You guys really don't have to do this--" I begin.

"Good answer!" Yohane shouts. She's got a smug look on her face as if she'd done the two girls a favor.

I wonder how long until they realize what they've gotten themselves into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would reply to comments but I don't think I can do that anonymously? So I guess I'll just do it the old fashioned way, in the authors notes!  
> -About illustrations: I plan to do a lot of them! Probably not every chapter, but I will do my best to draw a bunch!  
> -About update schedule: This fic has no set update schedule, so it will just be whenever!  
> And thanks so much for the compliments! I look forward to writing more of this too and i'm having a lot of fun! I appreciate any tips or critiques as always!
> 
> Oh and something else I wanted some opinions on; how are the image sizes? I know ao3 images can be wonky on mobile so I was wondering if it might be a better idea to make the images smaller? Thank you in advance!  
> EDIT: I've decided to shrink the images greatly, and add a link to the full sized image below it, please let me know any thoughts on this! Is weird to have a link right below the image? Or might it be a better idea to add the link in the chapter notes? I know a lot of people read on mobile so I really want to make sure the pictures don't make it a hassle!  
> edit 2: I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to link the image in the work when I could just put it in the notes...  
> [Full size image here](https://78.media.tumblr.com/8ca22d5d2f303ef465e75a0882de1aff/tumblr_p2vy261xxc1r9uab1o1_1280.png)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that any instances of spoken English (as opposed to the usual Japanese) will be portrayed with between less than and greater than symbols (you'll see what I mean.)

"You guys really started a club?" Chika asks excitedly. "What kind of club is it?"

Its lunch time and as usual, Yohane is nowhere in sight. I don't mind, though, since I get to spend this time hanging out with Yō and Chika.

"I'm... not actually sure."

Chika gives me a puzzled look. "What do you mean? You must have some idea right?"

I wish.

"Yohane-san hasn't told me what kind of club it is yet," I say, putting on an awkward smile.

"Oh? So she hasn't figured it out yet huh..." She gazes out the window. "I guess I know how she feels. I've been itching to join a club myself but I just can't make up my mind..."

Yō pats Chika's back. "You know you're always welcome in the swimming club, Chika-chan!" She gives her a wide smile before turning towards me. "Riko-chan, you really don't have any clue what Tsushima-san might be thinking?"

I shake my head. "The only thing I'm sure about is that it won't be normal."

Yō giggles at that. "Well it is Tsushima-san we're talking about. Just promise you guys won't go sacrificing any deer." She winks.

"O-Of course not!" Oh great. I hope nobody thinks that I'm into all that weird satanic stuff too just because I'm helping Yohane with this club...

XXXXXX

  
Class is dismissed. Yohane shouts out a “Meet me in the clubroom!” and bolts out the door before I can respond. I’m left feeling relieved that I can take my time walking there. I grab my bag and wave goodbye to Chika and Yō before venturing out into the hallway towards the literary club room.

It's actually a bit of a walk from our classroom so I'm all the more grateful that I'm not being forced to run there. I spend the time thinking about what Yō implied at lunch. I know enough about Yohane to know that she won’t be sacrificing any deer carcasses, but with what I’ve heard about her from others... I really hope she at least won't be breaking any school rules. If she does, I might be held equally guilty as her “accomplice".

I approach the literary clubroom and open the door. Its quiet. Yohane isn't here yet. Where did she go? At the speed she was going she should've arrived here way before me.

Seated in the same place as yesterday reading a book is Hanamaru Kunikida. "Good afternoon Sakurauchi-san!" she greets me politely.

"Good afternoon, Kunikida-san!" I bow in response.

"You don't need to be so formal with me" she says. "It looks like we're going to be seeing eachother every day, so is it okay if I call you Riko-chan?"

"Oh! Yes thats fine! Um, then how about I call you Hanamaru-chan?"

"Thats fine with me, zura! Why don't you have a seat?" Hanamaru gestures to a nearby chair.

"Thank you," I say, sitting down.

"U-um..." I hear a familiar voice to my left and see the tip of a red pigtail. "You can call me Ruby... and I'll call you Riko-chan, if thats alright with you?" she says quietly. Shes crouched around the corner of a bookshelf, a colorful magazine open in her hands.

I can't help but smile. "Yes of course, Ruby-chan!"

Ruby smiles back at me. Suddenly I feel a lot more at ease. Ruby and Hanamaru seem like really nice girls. The idea of getting to know them better makes me excited. I’m glad to see the beginnings of such promising friendships, even with Yohane. She's certainly eccentric but I think we can definately get along.

During this train of thought, Yohane bursts through the door. "Sorry I'm late!" she says, breathing heavily (I suspect its because she ran here). "I brought a new club member with me!"

A new club member? She actually convinced someone to join this club?

Sure enough, Yohane tugs another student into the room. She's quite tall and her blond hair is in an interesting style; it looks somewhat like a braided updo with a small loop tied on the left side. The red ribbon on her uniform tells me she's a second year. She's got a wide cat-like smile on her face, which tells me that she at least seemed to have come of her own free will.

"<Hello everyone!>" The girl waves enthusiatically.

She spoke in English; is she a foreigner?

I stand up and walk towards the two of them. "<N-nice to meet you>" I stammer clumsily back. English has never been my best subject.

The girl laughs heartliy. "My name is Mari Ohara! It's nice to meet you too!" She holds out her hand to shake.

Oh. She speaks perfect Japanese. Now I'm embarrassed.

I reach out and shake her hand. Woah, she's got a really strong grip.

"I-I'm Riko Sakurauchi, nice to meet you."

Wait, crap, I already said that. Now she's laughing again. I really want to disappear right now.

Thankfully, Yohane interupts this awkward moment by pulling Mari further into the room to introduce her to Hanamaru and Ruby.

"Mari, meet my little demons Ruby and Hanamaru!" Yohane gestures dramatically to said girls. If they're at all weirded out by being called "little demons", they don't show it.

"My name is Hanamaru Kunikida!" Hanamaru puts her book down and stands up to shake Mari's hand. "Over there behind the bookshelf is Ruby Kurosawa, she's a little shy so please give her some time to warm up to you, zura!"

Mari peeks around the corner and Ruby flinches. "N-nice to meet you!" She covers her face with her magazine.

Mari doesn't seem to be fazed by this. "Its a pleasure to meet you both! Hanamaru-chan! Ruby-chan!"

She turns around to face me, and I have to resist the urge to cover my face. "You too, Riko-chan!"

She just met us all five minutes ago and she's already on a first name basis. I wish I could be that charismatic...

Yohane announces, "With the newest little demon Mari, our club's power has increased," She poses in the... well, the you know what pose. “Soon, we shall bring hell upon the entire school!”

Mari simply smiles in reaction to her claim of conquest. "Yohane-chan, I have to warn you, I don't read very much! I'm not sure how much power I can contribute to the literary club!"

"This isn't the literary club!" Yohane says, matter-of-factly.

Mari frowns for a moment, "Oh? Did I misread the sign on the door?"

I sigh and take it upon myself to explain. "Thats... well you see, Mari-san, the club Yohane-san invited you to join is actually an unnamed club and Yohane-san has yet to decide what kind of club its going to be. This room is for the literary club, and Ruby-chan and Hanamaru-chan are the real literary club members. We're just kind of... borrowing their room for the time being."

"I... see," Mari says, looking appropriately confused.

"Don't worry, my little demons, for the fallen angel Yohane has just come up with a name for her cult." Yohane's mouth is quivering as she smiles; clearly she can't contain her excitement.

She takes a deep breath, and reveals to us what just might be, the stupidest name for a club I have ever heard:

"The Holding rituals with Every supernatural being and Leading a demonic high school Life Society! Otherwise known as the HELL society!"

What the hel-- I mean, what the heck?

Could it be that the reason it took her so long to come up with the name was because she had to make sure the acronym would be "hell"? You can't just skip random words so that it spells whatever you want! Not to mention, what kind of impression would our club have with that kind of name?

Needless to say, I'm not the only one in the room dumbfounded by this announcement. Everyone is wide-eyed and staring at Yohane like she's some kind of demon, which seems fitting, given the situation.

A few awkward moments pass and I conclude that nobody else is going to ask, so I do, "Yohane-san... What kind of activities will the "HELL society" be participating in?"

"Im glad you asked, my elite little demon Riri!" Her deep “fallen angel” voice rises up an octave in her enthusiasm. "The HELL society's purpose is none other than to attract supernatural beings and have fun with them!" She hops up to me and grabs my wrists. "Riri! Can you imagine just how amazing it would be to be in a club where you hang out with creatures like aliens and vampires? Mermaids and werewolves? Time travelers and espers?" Yohane is jumping up and down with excitement.

"I-I'm having a hard time imagining it." Does she have to get so close to my face? It's embarrassing...

"Well, you don't have to imagine it because it's going to become reality! We've even got five members already!"

"Hey wait a second! Now I knew that I'd be roped into this but Hanamaru-chan and Ruby-chan never said anything about joining!" I gesture towards them, a futile attempt at sending a hidden message.

Hanamaru looks a bit uneasy, her brow furrowing as she gripped her book rather tightly. Ruby looks as if she might cry.

"And also, don't forget that Mari-san here didn't even know what kind of club she was joining until now! She might have even changed her mind!"

Yohane frowns at me and lets me go. I cross my arms and glare at her. She seems to steel herself a little bit.

Yohane takes a deep breath. "Hanamaru-chan, Ruby-chan, Mari," she says, looking at where Ruby is crouched in the corner, where Hanamaru sits by the table, where Mari stands halfway in the threshold. "You guys really don't have to join the HELL sociey if you don't want to." A flash of pain crosses her face briefly, and is gone so quickly that I wonder if I imagined it. She really, really seems to want this. I don't think she's going for pity points like last time.

“Besides, I’m sure I, the great fallen angel Yohane, and my elite little demon Riri are sufficient for the activities required by the HELL society! B-but--” Yohane’s face pinkens lightly and she looks to the side-- “I certainly wouldn’t refuse help even from lowly mortals such as yourselves!”

Oh, so I don’t get a choice, huh?

Mari looks around the room at everyone individually. Then she closes her eyes and smiles to herself. "I see."

You see what?

"Yohane-chan, I'll have you know that I'd be glad to join the HELL society! It sounds like it'll be great fun!"

“Really?” I blurt out indignantly.

"Really?" Yohane asks, sounding just as surprised as I am.

"<Of course!>" Mari says happily.

I guess Mari does seem like she might be someone strange enough to join a club like this.

"Hanamaru-chan? Ruby-chan? What about you?" Mari asks the other girls.

Ruby flinches and shuffles further behind the book case.

Hanamaru blinks, looks at Ruby, at Mari, and then at Yohane. "Hmm," she says. "Yeah, I think I'll join too."

Really??

"W-What?" Thats Ruby. "Hanamaru-chan... You really want to join her club?"

Hanamaru smiles at her and nods. Ruby looks as if she is a loss for words. She gulps. "Okay... If Hanamaru-chan wants to join, then I suppose I will too..."

I hear a deep chuckling from beside me, which was slowly getting louder and more sinister, until it burst into maniacal laughter. "It seems fate has been decided." Yohane grins and strikes her iconic pose. "The HELL society has been born!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Full size illustration here](https://78.media.tumblr.com/c85de1e739409b6c62d445edd1471c8d/tumblr_p3ei6gDYMh1r9uab1o1_1280.png)  
>  I keep editing little format things and I am sorry.


	5. Chapter 5

Over the past week, what was once the literary club room has accumulated a significant amount of... stuff.

 

The first thing to change was the sign on the door. The card had been replaced with a piece of black construction paper that reads "HELL Society" in red marker. There is also a few small paper cut-outs of bats taped to the door.

 

At some point, all of the windows in the room had been adorned with pitch black curtains that Yohane insists should always be kept closed. The front desk and tables are now covered in long black tablecloths. There's about a dozen cheap unscented candles all over the tables (Yohane had originally placed them all on the floor and I had to convince her to move them considering how bad of a fire hazard that would be). Yohane also insists that we keep the lights off as often as possible, leaving the candles as our primary source of light.

 

There's now a clothing rack right next to the door with a handful of gothic lolita dresses, and a nearby box filled with miscellaneous accessories. Oh, and there's also another box filled to the brim with those tiny black feathers she's always leaving everywhere.

 

Did she just bring all of this stuff from home? This is getting beyond ridiculous.

 

Yohane is late again today. I sit in the dim light of the clubroom with the other three members idly waiting until she gets here. Hanamaru is reading as usual, and she had to bring her own book light just so she could see properly. I'm sorry, Hanamaru, you shouldn't have to do that. Ruby is actually sitting at the table today, right across from me. She's also reading one of her usual magazines, though she isn't using a booklight like Hanamaru. Mari is fast asleep, leaning on the desk and using a gaudy pink pillow to rest her head on.

 

I've got nothing better to do so I decide to try to chat with Ruby. "It must be a real pain trying to read in this lighting, huh Ruby-chan?"

 

She starts slightly upon hearing her name.

 

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah, that is true..." She looks to the side awkwardly.

 

"You should try to bring a book light like Hanamaru-chan. Reading in the dark like this could really mess up your eyes," I say, giving her a sympathetic look.

 

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that," she says, but then adds, "I-I mean, I just have really good eyesight so I can read fine in dim light like this."

 

"Wow really? That's impressive, Ruby-chan." I wasn't aware that some people could read better in the dark than others. I didn't notice her squinting while she read, so I guess it must be true.

 

"I-Is that so?" Ruby laughs nervously. She really is quite shy--she still doesn't seem comfortable with anyone besides Hanamaru. I hope she can warm up to me soon.

 

We fall back into silence since I'm terrible at holding a conversation. I pull out my phone and start playing a random game instead.

 

The door slams open and everyone in the room jumps, save for Mari who simply stirs in her sleep.

 

Why does she have to be so extravagant all the time? I almost got a full combo...

 

"Fear not my little demons, Yohane has arrived!" She's holding a thick stack of papers in her hands. "Now now, I know you all missed me but we don't have time for a sentimental reunion." She places the papers on the desk and flicks on the lights. "Riri, help me extinguish the fires of hell."

 

I stand up and help blow out all of the candles, begrudgingly noting how easily I've begun to actually understand her "fallen angel" jargon.

 

Yohane gives the room a once over to make sure all of the candles are out. She then goes up to Ruby and stares at her, walking around and inspecting every inch of her, making her more flustered by the second.

 

"Hmmm..." Yohane says, and turns to stare at Hanamaru in the same way. Hanamaru stares curiously back at her.

 

She walks over to me and does the same, her magenta eyes moving up and down, examining me. I feel my face heat up. "W-Why are you staring at us like that?" I stammer.

 

She smiles. "I'm evaluating you!"

 

"What?"

 

"I need to make sure to choose a dress that will best emphasize your demonic aura."

 

Oh, my demonic aura, that makes sens--wait.

 

"Dress?"

 

"Come now, Riri, surely you've noticed my collection."

 

My eyes dart to the clothing rack. Oh no. No no no. Absolutely not.

 

Yohane smiles at me and walks over the rack, pulling off a noticeably short black and white sleeveless lolita dress. "I think this one would be perfect for you!"

 

"I-I'm not gonna just dress up in lolita for you!" I protest.

 

"Don't be silly Riri, while I would love to personally see all my little demons in proper attire, you're only wearing them so we can hand out flyers for the HELL society!"

 

My blood runs cold. "You mean in p-public?"

 

"Of course in public! We can stand at the front gates and give flyers to students as they leave." She happily pulls two more dresses off the rack. "I'm gonna wear this one, and Ruby-chan can wear this white one!"

 

Ruby lets out a fearful squeak. "Y-Yoshiko-chan I-"

 

"It's Yohane!"

 

"Ah! Um, I-I'm really not good with people looking at me, s-so um..." she gulps.

 

Yohane walks over and places her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Don't worry, Ruby-chan! My demonic aura is the strongest here so most of the eyes will be on me anyway! I can’t pass out all these flyers by myself though, so you two are gonna help me."

 

Ruby makes such a miserable face that it makes _me_ feel guilty in Yohane's stead.

 

"What about Mari-san?" I gesture to her, who's still fast asleep. "She's much more outgoing than Ruby-chan." Or me for that matter.

 

Yohane sighs. "Ideally I was gonna have all of us do it, but all of these dresses are in my size, and they'll be way too tight on Hanamaru-chan's and Mari-chan's busts."

 

I blink. _That_ was what she was "evaluating" earlier?

 

"Oh!" She hops over to the box of accessories and digs around in it. "I've also got thigh highs!"

 

"Can't we hand out the flyers in our normal uniforms?" I ask desperately.

 

She's too busy rummaging through the box to even look my way. "We need to really grab their attention." She stands up with her arms full of various garments and walks over to me. She hands me a pair of white thigh highs and a small black-and-white bow-shaped hair clip. "Don't look at me like that Riri, you're going to look adorable!"

 

I slap my forehead. "That's beside the point. We could get in trouble!"

 

She gives me that annoying chuckle of hers. "We've already been cast down from heaven, Riri. We've got nothing to lose, now get changing!" Yohane looks around the room and clears her throat. "All of you turn around until I'm done," she adds, her face slightly pink.

 

I smile. Something about Yohane's apparent bashfulness makes me a little more relaxed.

 

XXXXXX

 

I lied. I am not relaxed in the slightest. This dress is so short I feel like if I bend down even slightly, I'd be exposing myself.

 

Yohane is placing a frilly hair band into Ruby's hair. Ruby is admittedly adorable in that dress, but the uneasy look on her face takes away from it.

 

Yohane herself appears to be quite comfortable in her outfit. She even has a pair of black angel wings and a headband with a fuzzy black halo suspended above her head. There are hints of magenta accenting her dress, matching her eyes.

 

After she finishes fiddling with all of the ribbons on Ruby's dress, she steps back and admires her. "Just as I thought, you look great, Ruby-chan!" Ruby's face grew pink.

 

Yohane turns to me, and despite myself, I flinch. She walks over to me and wordlessly adjusts the large black bow around my waist. Then she steps around me inspecting the dress, fixing tiny details here and there. I try to avoid fidgeting too much.

 

She finally steps back and brings her hand to her chin in thought, then snaps her fingers and grabs something out of the accessory box. She walks back up to me, reaches up, and touches my hair. I jerk back.

 

"Relax, I was just trying to get your hairpin." She points to the tiny bat-shaped hairpin in her hand.

 

I hold out my hand and glare at her. "I can put it in myself, thank you."

 

She doesn't look bothered at all by my glare which only serves to make me more annoyed. I take out my pin and replace it with the new one.. "Satisfied?"

 

She claps her hands together. "You look wonderfully devilish!"

 

“Yeah, yeah…”

 

Yohane grabs the stack of flyers. "Alright, looks like we're all set! Let's get going, we've got work to do."

 

Neither Ruby nor I move an inch.

 

Mari (who just so happened to wake up at the worst possible moment; as we were changing) giggles. Hanamaru is still just silently reading her book, occasionally offering Ruby sympathetic looks.

 

"Aw, come on, don't make me drag you guys out!"

 

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Riko-chan," Mari says, "You can't ignore your HELL society duties!"

 

I bet you wouldn't have such a smug look on your face if _you_ were the one wearing this… probably. I frown at her.

 

She shrugs and heads towards Ruby instead. "Ruby-chan, you know you look just dazzling in that outfit! It reminds me of those cute girls in your magazines."

 

Ruby's eyes widened. "You really think I look like an idol?" She blushes.

 

"Little demon Ruby-chan's charm is unrivaled by even the most renowned of entertainers!" Yohane chimed in.

 

"I think so too," Hanamaru adds. "Ruby-chan is cute enough to become an idol herself, zura."

 

Ruby smiles shyly, cheeks pink. "Th-Thank you, everyone." She straightens her back and takes a deep breath. "Yoshiko-chan, I'll take some of those flyers."

 

"Here you are, my adorable little demon," Yohane says, handing her a third of the stack. Then she holds another third out to me. "All set?" she asks.

 

I reluctantly take the flyers. I’ll look like a chicken if I back out now, when even Ruby is willing to do this.

 

"<Good luck!>" Mari shouts as I follow Ruby and Yohane out the clubroom.

 

XXXXXX

 

The HELL society flyers look like they were thrown together hastily in MSpaint. The pages are entirely black. "Join the HELL society today!!!" is written in large red letters and the page is littered with a bunch of low-quality demon clipart. I'm pretty sure Yohane printed them all from the school’s computer lab. There goes all the printer's ink for the next month.

 

"Please take one..." I awkwardly hold a flyer out to a passing student who’s blatantly trying to avoid all three of us. I can't bring myself to look at her because I know that she's just got the same baffled expression on her face as every student I've encountered so far. She hesitantly takes the flyer and I quickly bow and turn away from her.

 

Ruby's already lost the confidence she had when we started, back to her shy stammering self as she attempts to invite people to join our "society".

 

Yohane's loud and obnoxious advertising is actually only serving to scare people away from us. I'm pretty sure we've only handed out about five percent of the flyers and to top it all off, it started to rain the moment we stepped outside.

 

Funnily enough, the rain didn't put a damper on Yohane's mood in the slightest. In fact, it almost seemed like she expected it, despite this morning's weather forecast promising clear blue skies.

 

The rain makes the black ink from the flyers start to run and get all over our hands. This is embarrassing enough just wearing these flashy dresses. It can’t possibly get any worse.

 

"Riko-chan? Riko-chan, is that you?"

 

I freeze. I'm too afraid to turn around and confirm who I know is standing behind me.

 

"Riko-chan!" She grabs my shoulder and turns me around. "It really is you!" Chika says with her hand to her mouth in surprise.

 

"Oh! Chika-chan... Hi!" My mouth twitches as I desperately try to morph my grimace into a smile.

 

"Why are you guys wearing those dresses in the rain?"

 

Oh, you see, this is actually my hobby. Standing outside in the rain getting soaked to my underwear in a ridiculously frilly dress that probably weighs like thirty pounds now that it's so wet and handing out flyers to people who are looking at me like I'm out of my mind.

 

"I'm just doing some... club activities. Here, take a flyer!" I give her a wide, painful grin. Help me.

 

Chika takes the flyer but the wet paper immediately tears and falls to the ground with a _splat_. I hand her another one and she holds it more carefully as she reads the runny ink on the paper. "...The HELL society?"

 

"That's us!" I gesture towards Ruby, who’s miserably trying to pick up some flyers she had dropped, and Yohane, who's shouting at some random student.

 

Chika looks at them and then back at me. I can't read her expression. "What exactly _is_ the HELL society?"

 

I open my mouth to answer her but Yohane, who somehow heard Chika's question, yells, "I'm glad that you asked!" She trots over to us and poses. "The HELL society's sole purpose is to make contact with beings of the occult."

 

"The wha--?"

 

Yohane laughs. "Of course, I cannot divulge any more details." She smirks and crosses her arms. "That is, unless of course, you were to form a contract with Yohane and join her legion of little demons. What do you say?"

 

Chika stares blankly back at her.

 

"She said she's not going to tell you more about the club unless you join," I explain.

 

"Oooooh," Chika says, "I’ll, uh, think about it!"

 

She tries to back away from us, but Yohane suddenly lunges towards her and clamps her hand around her wrist.

 

"H-Huh?"

 

"Don't think I haven't noticed," Yohane hisses ominously.

 

"U-uh," Chika stammers.

 

"You are no ordinary human, are you?" Yohane looks deep into Chika's eyes.

 

Chika meets her gaze, her eyes wide. She doesn't respond.

 

Yohane giggles. "So, it is as I thought." She lets go of her wrist, leaving a hand-shaped mark of black printer ink. "That's right. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on you that you were destined to become one of my little demons!"

 

I notice Chika breathe a sigh of... relief?

 

"Ah, y-yeah, you totally caught me there!" she says, looking embarrassed.

 

"Great! Then report to the lair of the HELL society tomorrow after school! It's on the third floor on the east wing, you can't miss it."

 

"R-Roger that!" Chika gives Yohane a little salute. "Um, I'll see you tomorrow, Riko-chan!" She dashes off abruptly, leaving us in the dust.

 

I turn to Yohane. She's standing proudly with her hands on her hips and her nose in the air. "Yet another little demon has been dragged to hell. Soon I shall have an army."

 

I roll my eyes and look over to Ruby just as she sneezes. I tighten my fists.

 

"That's enough," I say.

 

Yohane looks at me, confused. "Riri?"

 

I thrust the drenched pile of paper and ink into her chest."Ruby-chan and I are going back to the clubroom. Just stay out here and pass out the rest of the flyers yourself."

 

I storm off without waiting for a reply and grab Ruby's hand.

 

"R-Riko-chan?" she starts.

 

"Come on. Let's go back inside." I start to pull her with me.

 

Yohane runs up to us, her dark blue hair plastered to her face. She didn’t look remotely energized now.. "We're all done," she says.

  


XXXXXX

 

Never in my life have I been so eager to take my clothes off. My shoulders are sore from supporting the weight of the wet dress. This must be what it feels like when sheep finally get their wool sheared after a year.

 

Ruby sneezes again. She's definitely got a cold.

 

I sit at the table squeezing the water out my socks. Mari is helping Yohane wring out the the dresses into a bucket. Hanamaru is combing Ruby's hair since it got all messed up from the rain.

 

What a mess… all of this, because we got dragged into this by Yohane.

 

"Ruby, Riri.”

Huh?

 

Yohane is staring at her feet, a puddle forming where rain drips down her clothes. “I’m really sorry,” she says quietly. With her lovely dress tattered and her hair in a wet clump, she looks utterly woebegone."This--this was a real disaster, huh? I really should've thought things through..."

 

I stay silent, anger and pity battling inside me.

 

“Yoshiko-chan iit’s not your fault--” Ruby sneezes again.

 

“I’m gonna go home.” Yohane hangs up all the dresses and picks up her bag. “Feel better, okay Ruby-chan?”

 

I open my mouth, wanting to say something, whether to yell at her or comfort her I don’t know--but the words elude me and Yohane leaves the clubroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riko was a real grump in this chapter, bleh. No illustration this time, sorry! Their dresses are literally just the ones that they wear in season 1 episode 5.
> 
> Thanks for all the comments I've been getting! But please do not feel bad to give me critiques because I've never written a fic before (let alone a MULTI CHAPTER) and I don't know what I am doing.
> 
> edit: made a few minor changes thanks to a friend's help!


	6. Chapter 6

It's Friday at last and I'm early to school as usual. There's a handful of the other early students quietly awaiting the start of class. Yohane is staring out the window leaning her head in her hands.

I walk over to my desk. "Morning, Yohane," I say as I walk past her and take my seat.

Yohane blinks as if she only just noticed my presence. "Oh. Morning, Riri," she says.

There's an awkward silence and I can hear the faint chirping of birds outside.

"Um." I fumble for something to say. "Any plans for the HELL society today?"

"Oh." She gives me an apologetic smile. "I haven't really thought about it. Maybe we can just relax today."

She turns to look out the window again.

Is she feeling alright? I guess she doesn't feel like talking this morning. It really isn't like her to talk so... normally. Maybe she's a little sleepy today, it's been a long week after all. Even people like Yohane can feel burnt out on some days. I'm sure by the time club starts she'll be back to her eccentric self.

XXXXXX

I walk into the dimly lit clubroom and wave hello to Hanamaru, sitting in her usual spot.

"Good afternoon, Riko-chan," she says.

“Good afternoon,” I say. “Where’s Ruby-chan?”

"Ruby-chan isn't here today," she says with a sigh.

"Looks like she couldn't beat her cold,” I say sympathetically “Poor Ruby-chan..."

Hanamaru simply nods and goes back to reading one of her many books. Neither Mari nor Yohane have arrived yet.

I let my eyes wander around the strange clubroom. Yesterday after Yohane had left, I took it upon myself to hang up the dresses to dry and put away any stray accessories. The candles are in a neat little row across the table and I find myself staring into their flickering flames. The soft, crinkling sounds of Hanamaru turning the pages of her book are making me sleepy.

A knock at the door pulls me out of my trance.

"You can come in!" I call out to them. It's strange; none of us normally bother to knock before entering.

The door slowly creaks opens and Chika pokes her head in.

"Chika-chan?" I say in surprise. I didn't think she would show up.

"Ah, Riko-chan," she whispers. "Why is it so dark in here?"

I smile to myself. "It's okay Chika-chan, you don't need to whisper. Yohane likes to keep the room looking... spooky."

"I-Is that so?" she says, a little louder this time. She awkwardly looks around the room, her hand still resting on the doorknob.

"Chika-chan, why don't you sit over here?" I pat the chair next to mine and give her a smile. "Oh, and this is Kunikida Hanamaru-chan."

Hanamaru waves at her. "It's nice to meet you... Chika-san, was it?"

Chika stares at Hanamaru and doesn't respond.

"Chika-chan?" I say.

She jumps. "O-Oh, sorry, sorry, um--" she clears her throat. "I'm Chika Takami! You can call me Chika-chan." She steps into the room and sits. "Hanamaru...-chan?"

Hanamaru tilts her head. "Chika-chan?"

"You're a member of the HELL society?"

"I am, zura! Did you want to join too? I know Yoshiko-chan would love to have you."

"O-Oh! Well, she actually invited me yesterday and I figured I would check it out. I guess Yoshiko-chan isn't here yet, though."

"She has a tendency to be late," I say. "She's been looking around for more people to join. We've got five members right now, not counting you of course."

"Five?"

"Ruby-chan is sick so she isn't here today, and we've also got a second-year member, Ohara Mari-san."

As if on cue, the door opens and said girl walks in, Yohane following behind her. Both of them seem surprised to see Chika in the room.

"<Oh my!>" Mari exclaims. "Could it be that we've got a new member?"

"You really came?" Yohane asks. I guess Yohane didn't expect yesterday's mess to bring us a new club member either.

Chika scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "I guess I'm just a little curious."

For some reason, Chika seems nervous. I always took her to be something like a social butterfly, but I suppose anyone might feel a little uncomfortable in this situation.

Yohane cleared her throat, "Yes, of course, you would be! I've no doubt that your mind has been plagued with curiosity ever since yesterday!" She stood up straight and puffed out her chest. "I must warn you, however, once you make a contract with a fallen angel, there is no going back, and you must dedicate your life to serving Yohane just as the other little demons have." She gestures around the room.

I roll my eyes, though I can't help smiling.

"We'd be glad to have you, Chika-chan!" I say.

"Well... Okay, I guess there's no harm in joining."

I can't say I blame her for being so hesitant, but I also can't deny that I'm really grateful to have Chika-chan here.

Yohane starts chuckling demonically. "Then, let us begin the ritual! Riri!"

"Huh?"

"Help me collect all the candles!"

XXXXXX

The tables have been pushed to the side of the room. In the middle lays a large black cloth with what I assume to be some kind of summoning circle on it. Lit candles have been placed at each of the five points of the star in the circle. The five of us are wearing black hooded cloaks. Chika is in the center while the rest of us surround the circle.

If Chika wasn't uncomfortable before, I'm sure that she is now.

Yohane stands directly across from Chika. One of her black feathers is sticking out from her hair bun.

"Little demon Chika... This contract binds you to eternally serve under the fallen angel Yohane. Do you accept these terms?"

From where I'm standing, I can't see Chika's face, so I don't know how she's taking this.

"I-I accept?" she stutters.

"Then... the contract is sealed!"

Mari, Hanamaru, and I each clumsily blow out a candle, as Yohane had instructed us.

Welcome to the HELL society, Chika-chan.

XXXXXX

Yohane’s mood seems to have improved after performing the ritual. She's been excitedly explaining all the details about the HELL society to Chika.

Mari is rummaging through the box of accessories, trying on little bows and bracelets.

As usual, Hanamaru is just silently reading.

I've just been sitting around on my phone, waiting for the club meeting to end so I can enjoy my weekend. Other than Chika's "initiation", it has been a pretty lazy day today.

"Okay, little demons! I must leave this mortal plane and return to the outermost areas of the celestial sphere where I may rest," Yohane announces. "You're all dismissed. See you all on Monday!"

"Bye-bye, Yohane-chan!" Mari waves.

The rest of us get up and grab our bags. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Hanamaru.

"Riko-chan, do you mind staying behind for just a little longer?" she asks.

I blink. "Oh, sure thing, Hanamaru-chan."

I wonder what she needs me for.

"Riko-chan," Chika calls out, "wanna walk home together today?"

"Oh, you can go ahead without me Chika-chan! I've still got some things to take care of."

Chika shrugs and waves goodbye. Mari follows her, leaving Hanamaru and I alone in the clubroom.

I turn to Hanamaru. "Did you need some help with something?"

She shakes her head, "No, I actually just wanted to talk to you, zura." She pulls out a chair. "Why don't you have a seat?"

I comply. She sits straight across from me and closes her eyes. A few moments pass and I begin to feel quite awkward until she suddenly exhales deeply and opens her eyes.

"Are you comfortable?" she asks.

What did she mean by that? "Um, well, yes I'm fine."

Silence.

This is making me nervous. Just say what you need to say already...

Silence.

I decide to nudge her. "Hanamaru-chan?"

"Ah, sorry. I guess you could say that... I am steeling myself?" she musters a smile.

Steeling herself? What could she possibly need to say to me that she would need to mentally prepare herself for it? Wait. Don't tell me she’s... trying to confess to me?

She clears her throat.

I'm suddenly feeling really embarrassed, unable to look at her in the eyes.

"To start off, I will simply say that Yoshiko-chan and I are not ordinary human beings."

Uh...

"I am not a being of this world. I am not human. I am a lifeform who was created for the sole purpose of observing Yoshiko Tsushima. My role is to provide my superiors with information pertaining to Yoshiko-chan, zura. The moment Yoshiko-chan was born, there was an explosion of data larger than we have ever witnessed before."

...

"Ah, when I say we, I mean my superiors, or my creators. They are a race of highly evolved beings. They collect data and they don't have physical bodies. I'm sorry, I don't know how well I can describe them to an organic life form such as yourself, zura." She smiles apologetically.

"Ah..." I can't think of what to say. I don't understand anything she is saying right now.

"Human beings, though intelligent to a degree, cannot comprehend what the universe truly is. Human beings are imperfect, of course, there isn't anything wrong with that! I've grown to quite like humans, and I love my role, zura. Oh, I'm getting a little off-topic, sorry.

"There was an explosion of data, and we don't know how it happened or what caused it. We only know that at the center of that explosion was Yoshiko-chan. That was fifteen years ago, and nothing like it has happened since then. Well, actually, nothing like that has happened until recently. There has not been such a large explosion of data as the one fifteen years ago, but large bursts of data have been released periodically, again with Yoshiko-chan at the center.

"I am not the only observer of Yoshiko-chan. There are many others like me, but I am the only one that Yoshiko-chan has ever made direct contact with. We can all confirm, however, that there is a variable that has been triggering these recent waves of data. That variable is you, Riko-chan."

"Wait, Hanamaru-chan, please slow down." I hold out my hand to stop her from speaking. "I'm having a hard time getting all of this... You're saying that you're some kind of... alien? And Yohane, she’s... causing explosions...?" It seems near impossible just to try to humor her--this goes beyond eccentricity.

She giggles. "Well, I suppose alien is somewhat close to what humans may consider us to be, but from what I've read, humanity’s definition of extraterrestrials does not quite match us. Though, I suppose it would be easier for you to refer to us as aliens, zura."

She taps her finger on her chin in thought. "The explosions of data are not like physical explosions. An organic life form would not normally be able to sense these explosions. And again, Yoshiko-chan isn't necessarily causing the explosions, though she is at the center of them. The data associated with the being Yoshiko Tsushima is the data at the source of the explosions. We have observed her data to occasionally act unstable when making contact with the data that is associated with Riko Sakurauchi, zura."

"I... See... I guess that makes a little more sense," I lie. "Why are you telling me this?"

"That is a good question, zura." She crosses her arms. "No human has ever been made aware of our presence. You are the first."

Lucky me?

"We have concluded from the little data we have collected from the explosions that Yoshiko Tsushima likely holds the power to control data. She is unaware, but data adjusts itself to her will. Yoshiko-chan holds the potential for auto-evolution."

“I still don't understand.”

"You are an ordinary human being among more than seven billion other normal human beings, and yet, your data has elicited a reaction in Yoshiko-chan's data, which is quite significant. You, a primitive human, were able to do what we, a highly evolved entity, could not. It's really amazing, zura!" She smiles.

"Riko-chan, you are the key to Yoshiko Tsushima."

We both sit silently for quite some time.

I clear my throat. “H-Hanamaru-chan, you’ve got a brilliant imagination! It sounds like you’ve really thought a lot about this, I think you should consider writing fiction,” I try my best to give her a sincere smile that doesn't give away how weirded-out I am right now.

Hanamaru doesn’t smile back at me. She stands up and pushes her chair in. "Yoshiko-chan's data is unpredictable and there is a possibility that your data could be affected as well, " She walks over to the door. "I advise you to be careful, Riko-chan."

I'm left sitting in the classroom by myself. I never expected this from Hanamaru of all people. It makes sense now, why she wanted to join the HELL society.

It was because she's a colossal weirdo just like Yohane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize it's already been a full month since I've updated! I've been a bit busy lately, and this chapter was a little tricky for me. 
> 
> I planned to give this chapter an illustration, but I'm not so sure now. If I do decide to add one, I'll make it known.
> 
> Thanks for the support and I hope this chapter was entertaining!!


	7. Chapter 7

So far, I've spent my weekend lounging around my room, reading doujinshi, and overall being antisocial.

Earlier, Chika invited me to hang out at her house, but I don't do well with dogs. Chika keeps telling me it's a nice dog, but... you never know when it might try to bite someone! I really don't want to be there when it happens.

Fortunately, Chika's bedroom is directly across from my own. Sometimes I step out onto the balcony and chat with her.

"What do you think of the club now that you're an official member?" I ask Chika. She's leaning on the window sill with her arms crossed. Her hair is wrapped in a small towel; she just got out of the bath, I presume.

"Mmm..." She leans her head into her hand. "It's very... Yoshiko-chan."

"That it is," I giggle. "You know, you really don't have to join if you don’t want to. I don't think she'll cast a hex on you or anything." I pause. "Er, well, at least I’ll stop her if she does."

Chika smiles at me. "I don't think it would be very fair of me to quit after just one day." She stares up at the night sky. "And, I don't know how to describe it, but... I've got a feeling that I was meant to join the HELL society."

"You should tell Yohane-san that, I bet she'd be thrilled and start going on about how the stars aligned for you to be her little demon or something."

Chika turns to me and tilts her head slightly. "Say, Riko-chan, do you believe in that stuff?"

I blink. "You mean like demons?"

"Yeah. Supernatural stuff."

"Don't tell me Yohane's infected you too!" I step back dramatically, but I can't hold back from giggling.

Chika snickers as well. "Says one of the founders of the HELL society!" She lets out a small sigh and her face becomes serious. "Really though, don't you ever wonder if that stuff might actually be real?"

"Hmm." I look up at the stars as I mull it over. Do I believe in things like aliens and vampires and mermaids? No, of course not. There couldn't be any way those things are real. If they were, I'm sure we'd have proof or something. Anybody can claim to be an alien or a fallen angel, but that doesn't mean they really exist. Billions of kids believe in Santa Claus, but that doesn't make him any less fictional.

"Riko-chan?"

I blink, realizing I've been lost in my thoughts. "Well..." I look into Chika’s eyes. "I've always thought fantasy plots were really interesting." I turn around and lean my back against the balcony. "When I was younger, I used to believe in that kind of stuff, but now I know that there's no way they exist. Werewolves and espers? Their existence would contradict everything they teach us in science class, you know?"

"That's true," Chika says.

"Right?" I shiver as a gust of wind rolls over us. "I suppose it would be interesting if they really were real though," I say before stepping towards my door. "I've gotta get to sleep now. Good night, Chika-chan."

"Night Riko-chan," Chika says, shutting the window.

XXXXXX

I'm sitting at my desk working on my math homework when my mom calls me from the door.

"Riko-chan?"

"Yeah?" I turn around to look at her.

"I did a little searching online..."

I frown. "About what?"

"Two months from now, there’s going to be a piano competition in Tokyo."

I look away.

"Riko-chan?"

...

"I'm not going to force you to enter, but why don't you consider it? I know you love the piano, Riko-chan."

She stands at the door silently, waiting for me to respond. I can feel her gaze but I don't look her way.

"Good night, Riko-chan," she says quietly before walking away.

I try to get back to my homework but I can't focus anymore. I stand up and walk over to my piano. Mom had insisted we keep it. I wish it didn't have to stay in my room though. The fallboard is caked in dust and I’ve piled a few stacks of books onto it.

I take my time moving the books to the side. I sit at the bench and take a deep breath. I open the fallboard.

Ivory keys. The bright stage lights. The murmurs of the audience.

And I couldn’t play.

My fists tighten and I forcefully slam the fallboard shut. I feel like I might vomit.

XXXXXX

I arrive at school on time today; which is to say, I'm later than usual. I stifle a yawn and make my wait to my seat.

"Riri! Where have you been?" Yohane demands as I pass her. "Little demons are supposed to be punctual!"

Do you have to be so loud all the time? It's giving me a headache.

I sit and reluctantly turn towards her. "You're late for the club almost every day."

She crosses her arms and huffs. "I'm not a little demon. I am the fallen angel Yohane and I am bound by no rules."

"Okay." I really don't feel like arguing with her today.

Yohane raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth to say something but she's cut off by the homeroom teacher announcing the start of class.

I turn around and mentally prepare myself for what I know is going to be a long day.

XXXXXX

My head is pounding by lunch time.

"And they always keep the lights off in the club room! It’s entirely candle lit." Chika is describing the HELL society to Yō, who seems quite interested.

"Really? Where'd she get all the candles?" Yō asks.

"I think Yoshiko-chan brings them from home or something." Chika pauses to stuff a piece of chicken into her mouth. "She even laid out this big demonic circle thing, and gave me this whole initiation ceremony for joining."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! I had to stand in the middle of the circle and everyone else was around it. Riko-chan, tell her!" Chika pats my arm.

"A-Ah, yeah,” I say hastily. “Yohane had us wear black robes too."

"Riko-chan, are you feeling alright? You haven't touched your lunch at all," Yō says, sounding a little concerned.

"You've been pretty quiet too," Chika adds.

"Sorry, I've just got a really bad headache," I confess, and tie up my lunch.

Yo and Chika exchange worried glances.

"Don't worry, it's just because I didn't sleep very well last night."

Yō puts her hand on my shoulder. "Take it easy, okay?"

I nod and manage a weak smile.

XXXXXX

I really, really want to go home right now.

This is my only thought as I make my way up the stairs to the club room. I don't know why I'm even coming. My feet just sort of took me here.

I open the door, grateful that the clubroom is so dark. The fluorescent lights aren’t helping my headache at all.

Chika is here already; she had walked ahead of me because of how slow I was going.

Hanamaru is in her usual spot and Mari is here earlier than usual.

"Good afternoon Riko-chan!" Mari greets me, a wide grin on her face.

"Hi Riko-chan," Hanamaru chimes in.

"Hi everyone." I take my usual seat.

Chika shuffles closer to me. "How's the headache?" she asks, keeping her voice low.

"It's a bit better than earlier but still pretty bad."

She frowns. "I hope you feel better, Riko-chan."

"Thanks." I close my eyes and rub my temples.

Even though Chika had whispered, Mari and Hanamaru had probably heard her mention my headache, and stayed quiet for my sake.

The momentary relief was inevitably interrupted when Yohane abruptly opened the door.

I suppress a groan.

"Hello my little demons!" Her booming voice makes my head throb. "The power level of the HELL society has expanded significantly in the small amount of time since its birth!" She walks to the table and slams her fist on it.

Ow.

"We've laid dormant for much too long! We must take action! Your beloved fallen angel Yohane has taken the time to plan a schedule for the HELL society to follow this week, which will surely result in contact with the supernatural." She chuckles darkly

Mari claps enthusiastically after Yohane's speech. The rest of us keep our hands to our sides.

Yohane nods, smiling to herself, then takes another look around the room. "Wait." She blinks. "Where's Ruby?"

"I saw her earlier in class, zura," Hanamaru replies. "Maybe she's running late?"

A knock at the door.

None of the club members ever bother knocking. Everyone's caught off guard and we all stay silent until there’s another knock, this time louder.

"Enter!" Yohane commands.

The door opens and a girl I've never seen before walks in. She has long, beautiful black hair, perfectly sharp bangs, and a small mole beneath her pursed lips. Her emerald green eyes narrow angrily at us.

Behind this stranger stands Ruby, her eyes darting fearfully around the club room.

"What is this?" the stranger asks in a chillingly calm voice.

Yohane clears her throat and walks up to her. "Hello, mortal," she announces. "You've entered the lair of the one-and-only fallen angel Yohane." She puffs out her chest proudly. "Otherwise known as the HELL society."

The second year squints at her. "This is the literary club," she says.

"Not anymore!" Yohane says matter-of-factly. "The HELL society has taken over this dwelling. Have you not read the sign on the door?" She gestures towards it.

She's got a lot of guts talking to a second-year like that. Or she's just an idiot.

"The student council hasn't authorized anything of the sort."

Yohane's eyes widen.

"I'm putting an end to this now. It goes against school rules to form a club without first handing in paperwork to the student council. The student council president must approve of the club before it is formed. I have not approved of this... 'HELL society,' nor have I even so much as received any forms proposing it."

Yohane shrinks back, her earlier confidence deflating. "W-Well, um--" she finally notices Ruby, shaking like a lost puppy, behind the girl. "R-Ruby! You told the student council president about us?!" she asks incredulously.

Ruby swiftly shakes her head as the apparent student council president clears her throat.

"After Ruby had come home so sick a few days ago, I asked where she'd been. For some reason she was hesitant to tell me." She side-eyes Ruby, who flinches. "From what I understand, Ruby is a member of the literary club."

"Dia-chan, don't glare so hard, your’re scaring our underclassmen," Mari pipes up, looking completely unfazed by the tension of the situation.

"I have no choice but to scold students who break school rules!" she snaps back. "Now explain yourself!" She turns back towards Yohane.

Yohane takes a step back and gulps. "W-Well... Who says that we don't still count as the literary club!?" She looks at Hanamaru with a pleading look in her eyes.

The angry upperclassman follows her gaze.

Hanamaru gasps as she's hit by the student council president's death glare. "A-Ah! Um, that's right, zura! I'm the president of the literary club, and we, um, still use the clubroom for literary club activities..."

"Then why are the lights off? Why are there candles everywhere? Why did Ruby-chan get sick?" She crosses her arms. "And why are you all so nervous? If you truly were not breaking any school rules, what reason do you all have to be fearful?"

Abruptly, Mari stands up and quietly walks over to the girl, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Dia-chan, anyone would be fearful if the student council president just barged into their clubroom and started yelling at them."

Dia tightens her fists. "Do you think I enjoy yelling at people?! I don't just spend my days looking for random students to lecture! Mari-san, this so-called club is a clear violation of the student handbook!" Dia emphasizes her words with wide and sweeping gestures, almost as if she can't keep her rage in.

She stomps over to the light switch and flicks all the lights on. I'm hit with another painful throb in my head. I'm at just about at my limit...

"Now, you are to disband this club effective immediately! I'm going to take the names of each and every one of you, and report your blatant ignorance of school policy to the principal!" Dia slams her fist on the wall.

My chair screeches against the floor as I stand up.

Chika flinches but I ignore her.

I walk over to the student council president who appears to be wincing in pain from banging her fist on the wall.

"Excuse me, president?" I say quietly.

She stares at meas if she'd only just noticed me. "Huh?"

"I understand that you're upset, but I'd really appreciate it if you stopped yelling, because I've got a terrible migraine right now and to be honest with you, your voice is making me feel like my skull might crack." I smile.

"I, er," Dia stutters a bit, embarrassed, then clears her throat. "Sorry.. Um. Why don't we sit down and talk about this quietly then?" She returns my smile awkwardly.

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you, president."

XXXXXX

Dia Kurosawa is the student council president, and Ruby's older sister. She's a stickler for school rules and prides herself in keeping the order of Uranohoshi Academy.

She is a very... intense individual.

Fortunately, Dia kept her voice at a reasonable volume during our discussion. Despite the obnoxious first impression, she's actually quite polite.

Yohane also kept her voice down, and, with permission from Dia, turned the lights back off to help my headache.

After around twenty minutes we eventually reached the compromise that the HELL society can be approved as a club if we can demonstrate that we are a positive influence on students and school life.

Any and all public appearances must be first approved by the student council. We're on thin ice, so to speak; another stunt like the flyer incident and Dia will take it upon herself to end the HELL society once and for all.

It appears that Mari's influence also played a part in swaying Dia to be more lenient with us. Whether they're just classmates or friends doesn't really matter to me though.

Right now I'm finally on my way home, with a few sheets of paper Dia gave me to fill out for the HELL society.

My shoulders slump.

I can't wait until bedtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait- I had trouble with this chapter. I must say that I enjoyed writing Dia though! Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

Class starts in a few minutes. I tap my pen lightly on my desk as I mull over the club's proposal application. Skimming over these questions, I can already tell it isn't going to be easy to make the HELL society seem like an appropriate club. Fortunately for us, we've already got six members, so we meet the minimum starting requirement.

"Riri! You're early this morning!" I turn my head and see Yohane trotting towards her seat. She sets her bag down and sits. "Are you feeling better today?" She asks with a sympathetic smile.

No semblance of her fallen angel persona in her voice.

"Yeah, I just needed a good night's sleep. How are you this morning?" There's something mildly uncomfortable about talking to Yohane like she's a normal person.

She leans on her desk. "Bored as usual..."

I hum and go back to skimming the paperwork.

"Apparently we need a teacher who'll sponsor the club."

"Let me see." She holds her hand out and I give her the sheet. She takes a moment reading before handing it back to me. "Don't worry about that Riri, I can cover that." She says with a wink.

My guess is she's going to forge a signature.

I sigh. "Activities that will benefit students and school life?"

Yohane places her finger on her chin. "Bringing attention to the supernatural! Like how to treat them so you don't get murdered! Oh, and helping them feel more welcome and comfortable in school."

It's weird hearing her say such nonsensical things when she's not doing her fallen angel voice.

"mm..." I jot down 'Raising awareness of occult dangers.'

I wonder if we've really got any hope in being approved as a club.

The homeroom teacher walks in and I put the application aside for now.

XXXXX

Lunch time. I swivel around in my chair and freeze when i realize Yohane is still here. Shouldn't she have ran off to god-knows-where like 10 seconds ago?

I stare at her and she shifts uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact.

"Wh-What?" She asks.

I blink. "Well, it's just that you've never stayed in the classroom during lunch before."

She laughs nervously, "Even I feel like eating lunch here sometimes..."

Why is she so flustered?

"Yoshiko-chan!" Chika cheerfully bounds over with Yō following slower behind. "You're eating in the classroom today?"

"Chika! Hi!" Yohane waves awkwardly. "Yeah I guess I just wanted a change of pace."

Something's off.

Yō walks up to Yohane's desk and bows politely. "Hi Yoshiko-chan, I'm Yō Watanabe. We went to the same middle school! You can call me Yō!"

"Ah, Hi Yō, nice to meet you! You already know this, but my name is Yoshiko Tsushima." She stands and gives a quick bow.

Did she seriously just call herself Yoshiko?

Chika drags her desk next to mine. Yō pulls up a chair and takes out her bento.

Yohane pulls out her lunch as well. It's neatly wrapped and plain looking. She unties it to reveal a lunch consisting of rice, chicken, and some shrimp tempura. A little unhealthy but quite normal looking.

She's acting way too normal. I've never heard her refer to herself as Yoshiko before. Did... something happen?

"R-Riri can you stop staring at me like that?" Yohane brings me out of my thoughts.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" I fumble for my own lunch and keep my thoughts to myself.

XXXXX

The last class ends. I stand up, take my bag, turn around and grab Yohane's wrist.

"Wh-Wha-"

I briskly pull her out of the classroom in the same way she's done to me before.

"Riri, I-I can meet you in the club-"

"That's not where we're going" I interrupt.

She doesn't reply and we wordlessly walk up two flights of stairs. She should feel grateful I didn't make her run.

I stop at the empty space before the door to the roof. We don't need to go outside, I just wanted some privacy to talk.

I finally let go of her and turn around."What is up with you today?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Uhm..." Yohane rubs her wrist where I had grabbed her. "What do you mean?" She asks dumbly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Yohane-san." I emphasize her silly nickname.

She appears to wince. "Please, call me Yoshiko."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" I frown. "Why are you suddenly acting so normal?"

She laughs nervously. "Well, the whole fallen angel thing is pretty embarrassing isn't it?"

You're just realizing that now?

I'm almost speechless. "You... Care about that?"

"Of course I do!" She says defensively. "I want people to like me!"

I stare at her.

She stares back, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth set in a hard line. I can't tell what she's feeling.

I exhale, "Isn't it a little late for that?" I lift an eyebrow. "You've already kind of established a reputation you know..."

Yohane groans. "I know! I'm so embarrassed! Look, can you do me a favor and forget all about that?" She closes her eyes in frustration. "Just pretend I was never such a freak."

A wave of pity washes over me. "You, uh, weren't that bad..."

She narrows her eyes at me.

"Okay, yeah you acted pretty weird but..." I involuntarily swallow as I struggle to comfort her. "Everyone is already used to it now."

She gave me a look that resembled that of someone who'd just failed the entrance exam to their dream school.

Gosh, I am terrible at comforting people.

"Why now?" I decide to backtrack. "Just yesterday you were acting all demonic."

She sighs. "I've wanted to act normal from the start." She looks away, her fists tighten. "I really wanted to give a normal introduction on the first day of classes but all of that dumb stuff just came out." She looks back up at me, her face utterly miserable. "I didn't want to talk to anyone after I did something so embarrassing, I was rude to anyone who tried to talk to me."

So that's why she was so off-putting before... This is starting to make more sense.

"Even though I was so rude to you all the time, you kept talking to me for some reason. How come?" She asks.

I blink. "Uh..."

She patiently waits for me to give her an answer, but, I don't really know the answer myself.

"You must've had a reason, why would you talk to someone like me?" she nudges.

I look to the side, "I'm sorry, I, I don't know."

"Well," she says, "I figured it was because you were actually interested in all of this."

...

"You still talked to me even when I said weird, cryptic things, and I started feeling more confident I guess." She forces a laugh. "It was really impulsive but suddenly I was thinking i really wanted to start a club with you. A club where we could find other people who were interested in this sort of thing.

"But I'm starting to realize that you don't seem to be having much fun at the club," she bites her lip, "or with me.”  
That’s..

"I'm really grateful that you've been putting up with me like this, and I'm having a lot of fun in the hell society, but, there's no point if you're not enjoying it too."

"I..." I don't know what to say...

"I'm pretty bad at talking to people but I'd really like to be your friend." Her face turns pink in embarrassment. "But I know friendship is about both of us having fun, I don't want to cause trouble for you Riri, I-I mean, Riko."

"Yohane-san-"

"It's really okay to call me Yoshiko!" She holds up her hands. "That's my real name, after all." She tries her best to smile but I can tell it isn’t genuine.

She really does care about the feelings of others. This whole time I just assumed she only thought about herself...

This was a lot to take in, but the gears in my brain are finally starting to move.

"Well, how about this," I hold up a finger, "I'm already pretty used to calling you 'Yohane', but I won't do that anymore if you don't want me to."

She closes her eyes and nods.

"But," I continue, "It feels pretty weird calling you Yoshiko too. Would you mind if I call you 'Yocchan'?" I smile. "And I think the nickname 'Riri'" has grown on me too."

"I-I, um,"

I can't help but grin as she struggles to find words.

"O-Okay then, Riri," she says, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

"We started off kind of awkwardly, but I'd like to be your friend too." I hold my hand out to her.

Her face softens and she reaches to take my hand but hesitates. "Um, are you sure? I do my best to act normal but weird things tend to just... pop out"

I giggle. "If it really bothered me that much, I would've quit the club by now."

She takes my hand. "Fair point." She smiles. "Now let's go to the club room, my little demons are surely growing suspenseful in my absence."

"Lead the way."

She pulls me by the hand and we head for the club room, a little faster than necessary.

XXXXX

Yocchan and I are the last to arrive.

"There you two are!" Chika proclaims. "What took you guys so long?"

"Riko-chan isn't usually late, zura." Hanamaru adds.

I wave my hand dismissing their curiosity. "You guys don't need to worry about that." I take my usual seat next to Chika.

"Indeed, you all need not worry about why Riri and I were late," Yocchan takes a seat at the end of the table. "What you should be concerned about is the wicked one who has declared war on the HELL society!" She tightens her fists. "She is waiting for us to let our guards down so that she may swoop in and snatch our heads, the camazotz she is..."

I have to admit, when in a dark room surrounded by lit candles, her speeches almost sound cool enough to make up for the fact that they make no sense.

I hear a giggle to my right.

"Yoshiko-chan, I think you're giving Dia-chan a little too much credit." Mari says, her lips curled in a smile.

"U-Um," Ruby squeaks. "Onee-chan isn't so bad really, but she really doesn't like rules being broken."

"Hmph," Yocchan crosses her arms. "Well once we hand in our club application she'd better leave us alone."

"She still could turn down our proposal though." I pull said application out of my bag and squint as I read it in the dark. "We've got plenty of members but I don't know if she'll really buy the whole 'warning others about occult dangers' thing."

"Anyone who underestimates the dangers of the supernatural is a fool." Yocchan says matter-of-factly.

"Dia-chan's got no real reason to say no to us." Mari says, nonchalantly leaning her head in her hand.

I guess if nobody else is worried about it, I'll just let it be.

"It's going to be difficult to uncover supernatural beings under her conditions." Yocchan leans her chair backwards. "Everyone looked so good in those dresses too!"

In the back of my head, I can't help but thank Dia for that one.

"Do the supernatural creatures have to be students of this school?" Hanamaru asks.

"No, no, It would be an honor to meet any fellow being of the occult!"

"Dia-san can only control what we do at school." Chika says, thoughtfully.

Yocchan snaps her fingers. "Chika you're a geniuuAAH!" Yocchan, having leaned back too far in her chair, falls backwards and hits the floor with a loud *THUD*.

"Y-Yocchan are you okay?" I stand and move to help her up, Chika gets to her faster though.

"Owwww" Yocchan's eyes are screwed shut and she's rubbing her elbow. She takes Chika's outstretched hand and pulls herself up. "I'm fine, I'm fine," She says, brushing dust off her clothes. "Just my curse as usual."

"Don't lean your chair back like that." I scold her.

"Chika," She grabs Chika's shoulders. "You're a genius."

Hey, don't ignore me!

"Huh?" Chika says.

"The wicked one holds power over us at school, but she cannot interfere outside of school property." Yocchan chuckles darkly. "Club is dismissed for today, I must ruminate over this realization."

She snatches up her bag and starts to head for the door before suddenly stopping. "Oh wait." She digs around in her bag and pulls out a cellphone. "Little demons, we must exchange contact info."

We each collectively pull our phones out. I try to suppress the grin forming on my face. There's something about exchanging phone numbers that makes it truly feel like we're all friends. Everyone in the HELL society is a little out-of-the ordinary, but I’m starting to feel at home here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some yohariko lol


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts some characters chatting through text messages and using emotes. I hope it's not too difficult to read!

Chika and I are walking home together when I feel a buzz in my pocket. I take out my cellphone to see its a message from my freshly added contact for Yocchan. It's only been about 15 minutes since we left school, and I can't help but grin at her eagerness.

I stop for a moment to text a quick response letting her know that I've yet to reach my house. Chika turns around and tilts her head.

I take a few steps to catch up with her. "That was just Yocchan."

"Looks like you two have gotten closer." Chika observes.

"We just had a chat today. I feel like I understand her a little better."

Chika hums in response. "Do you have an idea about what kind of outing she has planned for us?"

"Hmm..."

We cant exactly invite non-students to join our club... I wonder, what _does_ she have in mind? I shake my head.

Chika turns to look at the clouds. "You, know, even though I was kind of pushed into it, I'm really glad I joined the HELL society."

"Oh?" I voice my surprise. I'd have thought the club would leave a bad impression on her.

Chika nods. "It's weird, but, something about being with everyone in the club just feels so.. right. Especially Yoshiko-chan."

" _Really_?" I blurt out. I think I sounded a bit too shocked.

Chika looks at me quizzically. "Is it really that weird?"

"I-I mean," I fumble as I try to get my thoughts together. "Its just, well, she's so..."

"She's really fun isn't she?"

I blink.

She continues, "Back in middle school, she always interested me. Something about her just pulls me in, Y'know?"

I think back to when I had first spoken to Yocchan. I still don't really understand why I did.

I pause for a moment. "I... I think I get what you mean."

"Right?" Chika grins. "Yoshiko-chan is a real mystery."

I hum in agreement.

XXXXXX

Once I'm Home and settled in my room, I text Yocchan.

Riko: I'm home now  
Yocchan: ψ(｀∇´)ψ  
Yocchan: Excellent... Excellent!!  
Yocchan: I'm currently researching supernatural hotspots  
Riko: Researching?  
Yocchan: like on the internet

Well duh.

Riko: No, I know but  
Riko: How do you even research something like that?  
Yocchan: Kukuku... Typical that someone as innocent as yourself would be unaware of the deep web  
Yocchan: You wont be so innocent once I'm through with you, little demon ψ(｀∇´)ψ  
Riko: You sound like a Disney villain  
Yocchan: Thank you  
Yocchan: Anyways, look at this!!

Riko: What is this  
Yocchan: Do you see her?  
Riko: The moon?  
Yocchan: NO there's literally a mermaid look  
Yocchan: on the rock  
Riko: I don't see it  
Yocchan: Wait, I can trace her

Riko: ... That's supposed to be a mermaid?  
Yocchan: That IS a mermaid and you know what else??  
Yocchan: This photo is RECENT  
Yocchan: AND this is in Uchiura!!!  
Riko: How recent?  
Yocchan: only like 20-something years ago  
Riko: That's recent??  
Yocchan: Yes  
Yocchan: So this gave me an idea for the HELL society!!  
Yocchan: We're going fishing for mermaids!!  
Riko: Um..  
Riko: How? When?  
Riko: If you could just fish up a mermaid like any other fish, surely we'd have records of that?  
Yocchan: Riri just trust me  
Riko: How do you even know that photo is real? Someone could have edited it  
Riko: Or maybe it's just a weird looking rock  
Yocchan: I know a mermaid when I see one

Actually you didn't see it because it's a photo.

Yocchan: Mark your calendar, this weekend we're gonna get to meet a real, live, mermaid!!!  
Riko: This weekend? I feel like that's a bit too soon  
Riko: Where are we going to meet up? Do you even own a fishing rod? Is everyone free?  
Yocchan: Well...  
Yocchan: You live by the beach right?

Oh god.

Riko: No  
Yocchan: I didn't even say anything!!!  
Riko: You were going to suggest we stay at my place for the weekend, right?  
Yocchan: So we can?  
Riko: No!!  
Riko: We don't have the space for that!  
Riko: And there's no way my mom will allow it  
Yocchan: You never know unless you ask

I'm trying my best not to panic while I frantically search the back of my mind for some kind of alternative to this scenario. All Five of us sleeping in my room? There's definitely no space for that, not to mention... What if somebody finds one of my manga? There's only so many places I can hide them...

Wait a second.

Riko: Wait  
Riko: I just remembered something  
Yocchan: ?  
Riko: Chika-chan lives next door to me  
Yocchan: Whoa really?  
Yocchan: But do you think her family would be okay with everyone staying?

Oh so you're concerned about her family but not mine? Figures.

Riko: Her family owns an inn  
Yocchan: !!!  
Yocchan: its perfect!!!  
Yocchan: See Riri? Everything's already falling into place!  
Riko: Yeah, yeah...  
Riko: I'm gonna get started on my homework now so, later.  
Yocchan: ψ(｀∇´)ψ Until we meet again, my little demon

Phew. Dodged a bullet there...

XXXXXX

Later in the evening I hear my phone go off again.

To my surprise, this time it's Mari.

Mari: Riko-chan~ Are you still awake?  
Riko: Hi Mari-san, yeah I'm awake!  
Riko: Did you need something  
Mari: *gasp*  
Mari: Riko-chan... You just assume that I would only talk to you because I need something from you??  
Mari: That hurts Riko-chan :( we're friends!

I feel a twinge of guilt. In hindsight, it was rather rude for me to reply like that.

Riko: I'm sorry Mari, I guess I just wasn't expecting you to want to chat with me like this  
Mari: No worries~  
Mari: In fact, I've wanted us to get to know each other better for awhile now!  
Riko: Same here, Mari-san! :>  
Mari: Are you free tomorrow after school?  
Mari: After club of course  
Riko: I don't have any plans, did you have something in mind?  
Mari: I wanna invite you to my house!

I pause for a moment. Is it usually this early in a friendship that you visit your friend's house? I bite my lip. It would be rude to say no...

Riko: Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?  
Mari: No not at all!  
Mari: I know it might seem a little sudden, but I think its the best way for you to get to know me!  
Riko: I see, okay then  
Riko: This seems like it could be really interesting, I look forward to it!  
Mari: Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

I place my phone down and sigh. It does seem like a great opportunity to get to know Mari better, but, I'm just so awkward... It's scary to think that I'll be alone with her, I hope she doesn't realize how boring I am...

XXXXXX

Yocchan kneels dramatically in front of Chika, holding out her hand as if asking her to dance.

"Dearest little demon, I must request something of thee. It is a favor of utmost importance."

"Y-Yoshiko-chan... I will do everything in my power to assist! I swear it!" Chika takes Yocchan's hand and holds it to her chest.

I try and fail to resist rolling my eyes.

"I was faced with a dilemma; I planned a mighty journey for the HELL society, but could not adequately shelter all the members." She wipes a nonexistent tear from her eye. "But at that moment I was contacted by a greater power, no, a demonic aura!"

Chika nods, eyes wide and paying close attention.

"It told me that you, Chika Takami, hailed from a house of lodging. Indeed, the key to my dilemma was right under my nose!" Yocchan stands and plants a kiss on Chika's hand. "I ask for your warm welcome in the coming weekend, little demon."

Chika's face pinkens and she brings a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Yoshiko-chan... I..."

"What is it, my fair little demon?" Yocchan winks.

"I don't understand anything you just said."

They stare blankly at each other for a few moments

Reluctantly, I sigh and walk over. "Yocchan wants you to let us all sleep over at your house over the weekend since your family runs an inn. Preferably, this would be free of charge."

"Oooooh." Chika taps on her chin lightly. "I can ask, but I might have to squeeze everyone in my room."

"That's fine!" Yocchan says, excitement seeping from her voice. "Make doubly, no, _triply_ sure about it! Oh, and text me when you ask!"

Chika gave her a mock-salute "Roger!"

"U-Um," Ruby spoke up from where she was seated next to Hanamaru. "Does, um, everybody have to sleep over?"

"Full attendance is mandatory!" Yocchan pounds her fist into her hand. "This is an extremely important event, I'm sure you can make it, right Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes dart left and right. "I, Uh..."

Yocchan looks at her expectantly, her eyes shining.

Ruby deflates in resignation. "O-Okay, I'll be there."

"Perfect!" Yocchan throws a fist in the air.

She can't seem to sit still today, can she?

"It's pretty short notice but I'll be there too," Mari says, holding up her hand in an "OK" gesture.

"What about you, Hanamaru?" Yocchan looks towards the tiny girl at the end of the table, a book open as per usual.

"Hmm," She says, "I've never had a sleepover before, It sounds like a lot of fun, zura!"

"Great! Everyone is accounted for!" Yocchan is practically glowing with excitement.

"Yoshiko-chan, what's the occasion for all of this anyway?" Chika asks earnestly.

"Kukuku..." Yocchan chuckles darkly. "The HELL society is to embark on a hunt for the supernatural beings that reside within the deepest and darkest crevices of the Earth."

"Like a volcano...?" Chika guesses.

"No, no! Though that's not a bad idea," Yocchan smirks to herself.

Please refrain from any activities that put our lives at stake, Yocchan...

"We're going fishing!"

Chika's face brightens considerably. "Really?"

"Yes! That's a great attitude, my little demon, but save your enthusiasm for the real thing." She puffs out her chest. "We're not hunting for just some ordinary fish, we're going to catch a mermaid!"

"Oh!" Hanamaru speaks up. "I've read a book about that once, zura."

"Yes, many tales have taken inspiration from the elusive creatures. Some claim it to be fiction, but I am no fool! They can't hide from me!"

Chika claps excitedly and Hanamaru nods attentively. I think they're getting a little bit too into this...

"I know someone who can help us too!"Chika announces proudly. "She has lots of diving gear, and her shop sells fishing poles, and maybe she'll let us use her boat!"

Yocchan lets out an exaggerated gasp. "Seriously?! Little demon, please confirm what you say is true!" Her voice broke out of its usual deep, fallen angel octave.

"I promise it's true! We've been friends for a long time! She's really cool!" Chika says proudly.

Wow, does Chika really know someone who owns a boat?

"Is it okay if I invite Yō-chan too? She loves the ocean!"

"An outsider huh? That's fine, however she must swear to never reveal the secrets of the HELL society or face the wrath of all my underworld allies." Yocchan tries to sound menacing but her excitement is still seeping into her voice.

"I'll make sure to let her know!" Chika says with a smile like someone who just won the lottery.

With Yō and Chika's mysterious friend, that makes seven of us. Geez, how is Yocchan managing to rope so many people into her nonsense?

XXXXXX

Mari and I are standing outside of the school, waiting for her ride to take us to her house. Mari's been surprisingly quiet. Normally I'd be feeling anxious about the silence, but Mari's calm demeanor is easing my nerves.

She doesn't seem even remotely nervous. If it were me inviting someone to my house for the first time, I'd be sweating bullets. How can she be so composed?

"Oh, Riko-chan here comes our ride," she says nonchalantly.

A very expensive looking car pulls up and a man in a clean-cut tuxedo comes out and opens the door for us.

I stand there, dumbfounded, not quite registering what I'm seeing.

"Riko-chan? You can go in first," Mari prompts me.

"Er, I," I stutter. "Okay."

I crawl inside the spacious vehicle. It has that new-car smell, and the seats are lined with slick black leather. There's a wall separating the driver's seat from the backseats. I feel really out of place.

Mari gets in and sits beside me and the man shuts the door for her.

"It wont take us too long to get there, maybe around 15 minutes, so make yourself comfortable." Mari stretches her legs out and takes off her uniform jacket.

I try to loosen up a little. "This, um, it," I fumble. She waits patiently for me to find my words. "I don't think I've ever been in such a fancy car before."

Mari blinks. "Is it really so fancy?" Her eyebrows furrow. "I requested they take one of our smaller cars, sorry, I didn't want you to feel overwhelmed!"

This is one of her 'smaller' cars?

"Oh, no it's alright, you don't need to apologize."

We fall into a semi-awkward silence. I rack my brain for something to talk about, but Mari beats me to it.

"I know it was probably weird for me to suddenly invite you over, but Riko-chan, I'd really love to know more about you!" She smiles brightly.

I scratch the back of my head, and my face gets a little hot. "O-Oh, is that so?"

"<Of Course!>" She says, her smile only growing. "What are your hobbies?"

"Um, well to tell you the truth, I don't really have any interesting hobbies or anything," I laugh nervously. "I'm actually a rather boring person." I sigh.

Mari gives me a puzzled look. "Surely you've got _something_ you're passionate about."

I look away. I suppose I did, at one point.

Evidently, Mari caught on to the mood and changed the subject. "How did you and Yohane-chan become friends anyway? You both seem like such different people."

"That's true." I look down at my lap and absently fiddle with my skirt. "She sits behind me in homeroom. I just started chatting with her and before I knew it she was asking me to make a club with her."

"I think that's amazing, Riko-chan."

"Hm?"

Mari leans back in her seat. "Yohane-chan has always been so dismissive of everyone around her... You're far from the first person to ever try to talk to her."

"Oh... Well I guess I just never gave up even after I should've." I smile.

"No," she says. "It was never a matter of perseverance. So many have tried to talk to her, to understand her. She would turn away practically everyone, people with similar interests, people who kept chasing her after each rejection..."

...This is a little strange, I thought Mari and Yocchan had only met recently. She's talking as if shes known her forever...

"Is it... really all that special?" I ask.

"Yes, Riko-chan," she looks me dead in the eyes with the most serious look Ive ever seen her make. "You're very special, in fact, I think you're the most interesting member of the HELL society."

I raise my eyebrows. Me? The most interesting member in the HELL society? I don't understand. If anything I'm the _least_ interesting member.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of the car doors unlocking.

"Oh, I guess we're here!" Mari snaps back to her normal carefree tone. "Riko-chan, to tell you the truth, I didn't just bring you here to learn more about you. There's something we really need to talk about."

"Huh?" I tilt my head. "What is it?"

"I need to talk to you about Yohane-chan."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about my absence, I've been feeling a tad uninspired, plus, this chapter has a lot going on so it took me a good while to feel satisfied with it. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Critiques are encouraged! And feel free to point out any spelling or grammar errors!  
> [BTW if you can tell who i am based on my art style please don't tell anybody because i'm a baby writer and i'm shy hgfjfsdjs]


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